Manufacturers continually strive to enhance the physical qualities of portable computing devices so as to provide an excellent user experience and keep an edge on their competitors. Notably, the widths and lengths of most portable computing devices—such as smart phones and laptops—have recently remained somewhat constant, because a threshold amount of surface area is required to provide a pleasant user experience (e.g., for large user interfaces displayed on smart phones or physical keyboards of laptops). Other physical qualities of portable computing devices, however—including thickness (i.e., height) and weight—can continue to be reduced to provide an increase in overall user satisfaction. As a result, manufacturers are focused on developing new materials and designs that reduce the overall height and/or weight of portable computing devices.
Presently, there are several factors that limit the potential reduction of height that can be applied to a portable computing device, e.g., a smart phone. In many cases, the most limiting factor is the battery included in the smart phone, which remains somewhat large with respect to the overall volume of the smart phone. Notably, the battery must be secured within the smart phone such that the battery remains in place in the event of a fall and does not damage other electronics included within the smart phone. One popular battery-securing technique involves applying a relatively thick adhesive layer to the battery, but this limits potential for reductions in height and can make it difficult to remove the battery for replacement or servicing. Moreover, while measures to simply thin the adhesive layer would result in increased potential for height reduction, such measures would also compromise the stability of the battery within the portable computing device, which is unacceptable.